Method and apparatus for dewatering solids such as sand



c. E. WOOD 3,124,528 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEWATERING souos SUCH AS SAND March 10, 1964 Filed Oct. 16, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m m 2 w a 7 9 5 W W 2 M 1 5 W 1 a 5 0 m he as 2 @v a 4 IM O A d U 0 H 0 m II i l 0 4 an/0" #4 March 10, 1964 c. E. wooo 3,124,528

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEWATERING SOLIDS SUCH AS SAND Filed Oct. 16, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i l F I I i 5 IN V EN T 0R. (If/H2455 5 W000, 056M550 BY 6152 r2005 5. W000,

fiDM/N/fi 7207-2 x Mi, harm A TTQENEYS United States Patent O 3,124,528 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEWATERING SOLIDS SUCH AS SAND Charles E. Wood, deceased, late of Milwaukee, Wis., by Gertrude S. Wood, administratrix, Milwaukee, Wis, assignor of one-third to Helen W. Aker, Hackensack, N .J., one-third to Jean W. Re, Pawling, N.Y., and onethird to Gertrude S. Wood, Milwaukee, Wis. Filed Get. 16, 1958, Ser. No. 767,710 6 Claims. (Cl. 210-19) This invention relates to a method and apparatus for dewatering solids such as sand.

One of the difiiculties involved in classification of particulate material has been the necessity of classifying the material in the presence of a liquid carrier or vehicle and the time required todry the mate-rial after classification is achieved. Dehydration is greatly expedited if the water or other liquid carrier is separated mechanically to as high a degree as possible as a preliminary to other dehydrating steps.

The method here involved includes the gradual movement of the particulate material ironi a point below the level or the liquid vehicle to a point above such level while subjecting the material to vibration as it passes liquid level.

In the preferred embodiment of the device illustrated for the practice of the invention, the liquid vehicle and entrained solids are introduced into a tilted pan or bowl, the rim of which determines the level at which liquid extends across the inclined bottom. The liquid overflows the rim while the solids which settle toward the bottom at the deep side of the receptacle are swept upwardly by the paddles of a rotor until they emerge above liquid level. A vibrator is applied to the bottom and is desirably disposed either precisely at, or immediately adjacent the area at which emergence occurs. It is found that vibration at this precise point best separates the solids from the liquids so that the continued upward sweeping movement of the paddles propels toward a discharge point solid material is relatively tree of liquid.

In an embodiment herein disclosed, the vibration is developed mechanically in a diaphragm which forms a portion of the bottom wall of the receptacle. In another embodiment, an electric vibrator of any one of a number of types is applied directly to the metallic bottom wall of the receptacle at such a point that the maximum amplitude of vibration occurs at the level where the solids are emerging from the surface of the liquid vehicle. A wide I variety of other types of vibrators can be used for the practice of the method.

In the drawings:

l is a plan view of apparatus embodying the 1nvent1on.

2 is a view taken in section on the line 22 of FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the diaphragm and vibrating apparatus used in the device of FIG. 1.

4 is a view taken in section on the line 4-4 of FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of a modified vibrator apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a detail view taken in section on the line 6--6 of FIG. 5.

The dewaterer receptacle 1 comprises a shallow pan supported on the base 2 at an angle such the liquid overflowing its low 3 into the discharge trough 4 fills the pan only approximately to its transverse center line 5. The precise level to which the pan is filled is unimportant except as related to the point at which vibration is applied in accordance with the present invention.

The liquid vehicle and entrained particulate solids may Ice be delivered into the pan in batches or continuously, the latter being preferred. A spout 6 represents an appropriate of supplying the mixture of convection liquids and solids. Desirably the mixture enters the pan about 45 degrees from the outlet 7 in the direction of rotation of the rotor hereinafter to be described. The outlet 7 for solids is desirably on the high side of the pan, and it may discharge the solids through hopper 8 onto a belt 9. The liquid vehicle, usually water, collects in a relatively quiescent pool in the lower side of the receptacle and the liquid vehicle overflows the rim while the solids tend to settle by gravity toward the bottom.

For propelling the solids through and from the liquid in the low side of the pan, there is provided a rotor 10 mounted in suitable bearings 11 in a bridge 12 which spans the pan. While the means of dniving the rotor is relatively unimportant, I may provide a ring gear 13 mounted on the rotor and actuated by a pinion 13 on shaft 14 driven by bolts 15 and pulleys 16 and 17 from a motor 18 through a reduction gear set 19, if desired. By way of example, and not by way or limitation, the rotor may operate at one or two revolutions per minute.

The rotor .10 comprises a tube 20 having a bottom flange 21 iii-om which make blades. 22 project approximately radially, being :braced by rods 23 extending from respective blades substantially tangentially to the flange 24 of the tubular shaft 20 of the rotor.

Means is provided for vibrating the inclined bottom wall of receptacle 1 at or immediately adjacent the level at which the solids propelled by the rake blades 22 emerge from the level 25 of the liquid vehicle. In this particular device this occurs approximately on the transverse center line 5. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the portion 30 of the bottom of the receptacle is free of metallic connection with the adjacent portions 31 of the receptacle bottom, to constitute a diaphragm which can be vibrated independently of the rest of the receptacle. The connection between the spaced portions 30 and 31 of the receptacle bottom may conveniently be made by a non-metallic web 32 of rubber or the like which serves as a gasket, being clamped to the diaphragm portion 30 by means of clamp ring 33 and to the bottom portion 31 by the metallic clamp ring 34.

Vibration may be achieved in any one of a number of ways. In the present device, the metal diaphragm plate 30 is provided with bearings for the vibrator shaft 35. Between the bearings 36 and 37 the shaft 35 carries an eccentric weight 38. The shaft 35 has a universal connection at 39 with the armature shaft of motor 40.

In this device the entire panel or diaphragm 30 will tend to move bodily to and from the plane of the rest of the bottom wall 31 of receptacle 1. The vibration will be imparted to the mixture of solids and liquid immediately below the liquid level 25 and at such level and will continue to be applied to the solids as they emerge above such level under thrust of the rotating rake blades 22. As above noted, it is found that under these conditions, maximum separation of liquid from solids occurs.

Instead of providing a separately vibratory section of the receptacle bottom, vibration may be applied directly to unbroken portions of the bottom 310, this corresponding to the bottom 31 of FIGS. 3 and 4 in all respects except continuity, there being no separately movable diaphragm or panel in the construction of FIGS. 5 and 6.

Instead, the bracket 44 carries the vibrator 45 directly from the bottom wall 310 of the receptacle and is located immediately beneath the point at which the liquid level 25 intersects the inclined plane of the bottom wall on the transverse diameter 5, or wherever else such intersection occurs. While a vibrator so mounted will tend to vibrate much or all of the receptacle, the bottom wall of the receptacle is relatively large and, because of its area, is

r elativeiy'fl exible. Consequently, the vibration tends to helqea ized a 9? near th level a wh ch th solids emer from the liquid, thus concentrating in this area the vibrations of maximum amplitude.

Th r er tnany comm i l vi rat rs a pmn iet t use in-thiS manner and. th e or i h nte n d t ils a e no i ustr t Bv way l xample ma b m t on el l t em e vib ators in wh h a arm ure vi a t s eyel freq eney i sen i iz Wind ng Th re a sode s n wh t equ n y s d rmih by h a in o pr n pgn which t e matu e is un e th re niat ng and aking th t r n a the re .aueneyt Whi hit is tu Ther a e als at s ing specially designed motors with eccentrically weighted armature shafts and self-contained to vibrate as a unit at the frequency of rotation'of'the shaft. Neither to the tnethod'nor 1 to the mechanical structure is theparticular typ of v b o ign fican What is claimed is:

t .1. A method of dewatering particulate solid material which has been conveyed ;by a liquid current, such method consisting indelivering the liquid current and entrained material into a relatively quiescent pool, me-

chanically withdrawing the solids from below'the level.

of the pool and advancing such solids at an upward incline to a point above such level, facilitating the segregation of solids from the liquid of the pool by mechanically applying vibratory motion to the liquid .and the solids only adjacent the point of emergenceof the solids vehicle, means for defining the level of liquid therein,

means for conveying at an upward inclination solids settlingin said liquid, and means physically located at 'thepoint of emergence of the solids for subjecting the solids to vibration only as they-approach, emerge from and leave the liquid level.

i 3. The device of claim 2 in which the receptacle comprises a shallow pan having an inclined bottom, the

means for defining level comprising a side marginal portion .Qf the pan, said bottomhaving a port above liquid level through which solids are discharged, and the means for conveying solids from the liquid toward said port at an upward inclination comprising a rotor mounted in thepan andhaving rake blades movable toward the dischargeport circumferentially of the pan.

4. :A dewaterer'comprising a shallow pan having an inclined bottom and a wall whose margin constitutes a weir, a fiume for delivering to said pan a mixture of convection liquid and entrained particulate solids to be dewatered, the pan being sufliciently large to enable solids to'settle out in the quiescent liquid in said pan, a rotor operatively mounted adjacent the center of the pan and-comprising-rake blades movable circumferentially of the pan across said inclined bottom from a point below liquidlevel to 'a point'above liquid level, said bottom having a discharge port at the latter point and having a portion which is movable respecting the rest of said bottom, said portion being disposed intermediate 1 said points and substantially'where solids impelled by said blades emerge from the level of liquid maintained in said pan, and means for vibrating said movable portion.

5. The device of claim 4 in which said relatively movableportion comprises a diaphragm section having non-metallic flexible means connecting it with the remainder of the pan bottom.

6. The device of claim 4 in which said relatively movable portion comprises a flexible part of the pan bottom with which the vibrating means is directly connected substantially at said level and which is in metallic connection with the rest of said bottom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A METHOD OF DEWATERING PARTICULATE SOLID MATERIAL WHICH HAS BEEN CONVEYED BY A LIQUID CURRENT, SUCH METHOD OF CONSISTING IN DELIVERING THE LIQUID CURRENT AND ENTRAINED MATERIAL INTO A RELATIVELY QUIESCENT POOL, MECHANICALLY WITHDRAWING THE SOLIDS FROM BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE POOL AND ADVANCING SUCH SOLIDS AT AN UPWARD INCLINE TO A POINT ABOVE SUCH LEVEL, FACILITATING THE SEGREGATION OF SOLIDS FROM THE LIQUID OF THE POOL BY MECHANICALLY APPLYING VIBRATORY MOTION TO THE LIQUID AND THE SOLIDS ONLY ADJACENT THE POINT OF EMERGENCE OF THE SOLIDS FROM THE LIQUID LEVEL OF THE POOL AND SUBSEQUENTLY DISCHARGING THE SOLIDS RELATIVELY FREE OF LIQUID WHILE CONTINUOUSLY DRAINING LIQUID FROM THE LEVEL OF THE POOL SURFACE. 